


The Last Goodbye

by E_J_Hawthorne



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_J_Hawthorne/pseuds/E_J_Hawthorne
Summary: Sylvain had already come to the realization that Mercedes was his entire world, a world he knew he would be willing to give anything to save. When the time came, he knew he would gladly give his life in exchange for hers.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	The Last Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sxrensxng](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxrensxng/gifts).



> A oneshot that came into existence because I'm too much of a coward to actually kill a major character in a full-length fic. So enjoy the angst!

Battlefields were always the playgrounds of chaos, but this one was particularly dizzying. Three armies jumbled together, barely being able to discern ally from enemy before skewering them. Sometimes you still couldn’t tell, even after the crucial moment of choosing whose life would be taken: theirs, or your own. Those were the clashes you had to blot out as quickly as possible to stem the inevitable guilt from distracting you. Distractions would only get you killed. Fortunately, Sylvain was pretty good at ignoring his emotions. Usually. He jumped from enemy to enemy, soldier to soldier, striking each of them down in a well-practiced waltz of blood and death.

Killing was almost as second nature to him as breathing now. He wondered briefly when he had become so unaffected by taking someone else’s life…

Though the enemies kept coming, and the battle had been long, the tides appeared to be turning in favor of the Kingdom. From the edge of the forest, Sylvain could see Dimitri slowly but surely carving a path towards Edelgard, his deadly goal so intensely within reach. And further to the south of the battlefield, he was pretty sure he had just seen the professor incapacitate Hubert. As he caught his breath and watched his comrades fight, Sylvain felt his heart lift, just a tad. They would win. They would be alright.

Suddenly, the deafening clang of steel snapped him back to his senses. So much for no distractions…

“Sylvain, you fool! Pay attention!” Felix shouted as he struck down an enemy mercenary whose sword had been aimed directly at Sylvain’s self-proclaimed ‘immaculate’ chest.

“If you die in this battle, I’ll kill you!” Felix seethed. Sylvain let out a relaxed chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine. See? That was the last guy near us, so we’re all good to go now.” Felix remained unimpressed, though he did sheath his sword. Sylvain took this as a sign that he could get away with some teasing without getting impaled.

“Hey Felix, how about when this is all over and done with, we pick up a couple of ladies and have a fun little double date. My treat!”

“That sounds like an actual nightmare.” Felix deadpanned, looking around for new enemies to take down. Sylvain grinned knowingly and threw an arm around his best friend’s shoulder.

“Oh really? And here I was so sure you had your eye on a certain little singing red-head...” He said, gesturing towards where Annette was holding her own with her wickedly sharp axe. Felix jolted back, throwing Sylvain’s arm off and storming away, desperately trying to hide his now-crimson face, though the blush on the tips of his ears was a dead giveaway.

“Shut up!”

“You didn’t even ask who I would be bringing!” Sylvain feigned hurt.

“I don’t care, you idiot!” Felix yelled back as he made his way back to the fray.

Sylvain gave a hearty laugh at that. It was fun seeing his friend all flustered and awkward over a girl. Furthermore, even though he gave Felix a hard time about his little crush, He truly believed that the two of them would make a great pair. Annette’s chipper optimism brought out the gentleness in Felix that Sylvain hadn’t really seen since they were children. He was excited to see their relationship develop. Plus, he might finally be able to wingman for prickly, grumpy Felix without getting smacked with the flat side of a blade. Sylvain chuckled a bit at the thought.

As he contemplated the probability of death should he ask to be Felix’s best man, a flash of white magic in his peripheral caught his eye, reminding him of his own source of heart flutters. The yellow-white glow of the spell illuminated the soft-spoken angel herself: Mercedes. Even in such a harsh battle, she had the poise and elegance of the greatest of nobles with none of the prejudices Sylvain had come to despise over the course of his life. In fact, he doubted there were many people at all who truly understood him in the way she did. Never once had he felt as though the attention she paid him was only to snag herself a noble with the wretched ‘blessing’ in his blood known as a crest. No, their time spent together was genuine and kind, and when she smiled at him, he felt… loved. So loved. As simple a gesture as it was, that smile had become his star of hope. He had to win this war to protect that smile. To protect her.

Magic flashed again, blazing off of the armor of the pegasus knight persistently charging again and again at Mercedes. With each jab of the enemy’s spear, it became abundantly clear that Mercedes wouldn’t be able to dodge the attacks much longer. Worse still, Sylvain spotted the subtle slinking of an enemy assassin creeping up behind her. The creaking of his bowstring pulling back seemed to echo in Sylvain’s head.

Without a second thought, Sylvain bolted towards Mercedes, recklessly weaving through the open battlefield. He wouldn’t be able to reach the assassin in time. No time to think of that now. The bowstring crackled with the anticipation of fresh death. Mercedes was too overwhelmed by the pegasus knight in front of her to notice either the looming threat or the sprinting, desperate man who had nearly reached her. 

The arrow flew with a snap.

“Mercedes!”

And found its mark.

“Sylvain?” Mercedes yelped, the familiar shiny armor reflecting her wide eyes back at her. Sylvain’s broad shoulders blocked her vision, but not before she saw a javelin lodge itself into the chest of the enemy she hadn’t even noticed before.

"Hey Mer,” Sylvain said, though his attempt at nonchalance was muddied by the obvious pain in his voice. He staggered away, just enough for Mercie to spot shaft of an arrow jutting out from a chink in Sylvain’s armor.

"Oh goddess, Sylvain!" Mercedes gasped, attempting to catch him as he fell to his knees.

“Forget me! The pegasus knight, Mercedes!” Sylvain shouted, holding his gloved hands to his side as he crumpled onto the grass. Mercedes jolted up, just in time to dodge another stab of the silver lance that had been giving her such a difficult time for just a moment too long. Mercedes’ pulse pounded in her ears. She had no time to be dealing with this when Sylvain…

“Give me strength!” She cried to the goddess, blasting the enemy flyer with an intensely bright flash of white magic. They went down instantly, both mount and rider drained of life from the critical hit. Mercedes gasped for air, thoughts racing and yet eerily silent as her mind processed the last few moments.

“Nice shot,” Sylvain grunted, snapping Mercedes’ attention back to the dire situation at hand.

“Sylvain!” She rushed over to him, hands shaking as she rolled him onto his back. Sylvain yelped a bit as his wound was agitated by the movement, making Mercedes flinch. The wound wasn’t visible through the armor but based on the amount of blood already seeping into the soil, this injury was far more severe than any he had suffered before.

“Hold on, Sylvain. Please, just stay with me. I can heal you. I can— I just need a moment to—” She cut off, throat closing and hands icy. She cast a healing spell, the strongest in her arsenal, yet the damage barely lessened. The arrow must have hit a critical area. Her breath hitched in her throat as her heart beat a harsh, racing cry: _“no,no,no,no,no,no,no”_ it sobbed.

“Mer…” Sylvain murmured, but she smacked her finger over his mouth, shushing him immediately.

“Don’t talk. You’ll… you...” The ice in her hands suddenly ignited, fire tearing through her limbs and face.

“You! Why would you do something so reckless? Now you’re... Now you’re going to—” Her anger dissipated as quickly as it appeared, leaving bitter emptiness in its place.

“Ahhh, I promised Felix I wouldn’t… Heh. Guess he’s gonna have to kill me after all...” He laughed to himself, though it quickly morphed into a groan at the jostling of the arrow still inside the wound. Mercedes gently pulled him towards her, cradling him in her arms and brushing the hair from his clammy forehead. Her hands fluttered just above his side where the arrow was still embedded, unsure of what to do. She wasn’t sure if there was anything she _could_ do at this point. The tears came now, streaking her cheeks with trails of salt. Sylvain’s brow instantly furrowed at the sight.

“Hey. Hey. It’s alright Mercedes.” She looked back to his honey brown eyes, far calmer than they should be at a time like this.

“You’re here now; that’s more than I could ask for.” He said, yet those simple words struck Mercedes to her core. Her vision blurred as she began crying harder.

“Don’t. Don’t cry over me. I’m not worth your tears.” Sylvain murmured, reaching up and gently brushing the tears from her cheek. Mercedes sniffled and she shook her head vigorously.

“How could you say something like that? You’re worth the world to me. You _are_ my world! How could I not cry?” she gasped, catching his hand and holding it to her face, as though his touch was her lifeline. Though Mercedes' face was red and tear-stained, it still shone as radiantly to Sylvain as it had when they first met so long ago, a jewel, immediately catching his eye. As it did on the night of the ball, eyes and cheeks and lips all done up for the occasion. As it did when they had found each other again, five years older and with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

“I'm… your world?" Sylvain whispered to himself, his face and chest growing warm despite the pain he was in.

He paused a moment, just staring into Mercedes' eyes as if to commit their intricacy to memory. All the emotions swirling in them, their exact shade of lavender, and the beautiful soul behind them.

"Well, if you put it like that, maybe a few tears are alright." He said. She nodded a bit. Sylvain brushed a strand of fallen hair back behind Mercedes' ear. Cries and shouts from across the battlefield heralded the good news of the Kingdom's victory over the Emperor and an end to the horrific battle. One step closer to the end of the war. To peace. A peace Sylvain wouldn't live to see.

"Hey, Mer. Promise me something?”

“Anything.” She said softly, gently stroking Sylvain’s fiery hair.

“Take care of yourself. Follow your dream to be a priest, heck, become a bishop. And…" he paused, catching her hand and squeezing it in his own.

"Find a good man to take care of you for me, alright?” she simply nodded, unable to speak.

"Heh. You know, after this whole war was over, I was gonna ask you to be my wife." Sylvain mused as his vision started going hazy.

“Were you now?” Mercedes managed to choke out.

“Yeah, I was. Awfully bold of me, right?” he chuckled, pain fading away alongside his vision.

“I would have said yes.” she whispered.

“Ah. Well, that’s nice to know.” By now, the other Kingdom soldiers had noticed their fallen comrade. Many froze at the sight, others held a hand to their heart to pay their respects. Felix, on the other hand, dropped his sword and immediately began running to his dying friend, but he halted soon after. His face was twisted in anger, but his eyes betrayed his utter panic. He couldn’t bring himself to come any closer, to watch another loved one slip away, right in front of him.

“Mercedes?” Sylvain whispered as his vision went completely dark.

“Yes?” she sobbed, her tears falling onto his shining armor like a soft rain.

“I love you.”

Mercedes leaned down and kissed him gently. Their first kiss, and last goodbye.

“And I love you, Sylvain." She said as she pulled away. Sylvain smiled, a serene expression gracing his features as his hand fell limp in Mercedes', leaving only his parting word:

"Mer..."


End file.
